Elizabeth Edwards

I have a lot that I intend to do in this life.

I come out of real life.

What happened after Katrina is that people were stirred to action; there were an enormous number of contributions by people trying to make a difference. But then we forget. We've forgotten Katrina victims, we've forgotten the face of poverty.

What we hope to achieve is a society that doesn't value a white man because he's a white man, but also doesn't value a woman because she's a woman, or a black because he's a black.

I don't expect to get yesterday's medicine. If I can help it, I'd like to get tomorrow's medicine.

But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.

You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.

I'm part of a community that holds each other up, and it's been great to be held up too.

Part of what I want to do is sort of reclaim my story - it belongs to me and to my children, who have to live with whoever their mother is.

People find it a great blessing if their child left behind a child.

By what you do, you teach your children how to respond to difficult information.

We were never a family that had a lot. We had enough, but not a lot.